This is week 16 of an 18-week training plan that will hopefully get me to the marathon start line ready to have an amazing race, and maybe even PR!
Monday, February 10
I woke up a bit congested and with a pounding headache…but didn’t feel sick. Coffee and Ibuprofen brought me back to normal!
Also, today the pictures of the Tokyo Marathon 2020 medal were released:
Front of the medal Source
Back of the medal
From the website:
[Design Concept] For the 14th edition of the Tokyo Marathon, the medal designs are based on traditional Edo komon patterns that have been used to decorate kimono ever since the Edo period. Six distinctive patterns–sakura (cherry blossom), shippo tsunagi (seven treasures), seigaiha (blue ocean waves), asanoha (hemp leaf), kanoko (fawn), and kouji tsunagi (“kou”-character) — are combined on the medals to resemble the collar of a kimono, signifying a fusion of passed on Japanese tradition with the overlapping thoughts of runners and the supporting spectators. “Running” is the key visual concept of the Tokyo Marathon 2020, and people who enjoy running in all forms will gather at the event. Design of great originality using the traditional Edo motifs of Tokyo, the medals communicate the message that many different stories will start at the Tokyo Marathon. The medal ribbons feature a design based on the tapestry-like Tokyo Marathon logo, in which each thread represents an individual runner, volunteer, and spectator.
The pictures are a nice bit of extra motivation, and I hope to have better pictures to show very soon…
I felt well enough to run today, but didn’t. But I have an excuse! I started applying to jobs today, got sucked into it, and then before I knew it, it was 7pm. Fingers crossed that I start getting some responses!
Tuesday, February 11
Today I woke up and applied to more jobs. I love sleeping in (and sleep in general), but the vacation is over–or it will be over in a bit less than three weeks–and it’s time to be employed again! Yesterday I applied directly to a company’s website (after seeing a post on Facebook) and to jobs on the Secret Tel Aviv jobs board, and today I applied to jobs on LinkedIn. Cover letters are not NEARLY as popular in Israel as they are in the US, which definitely makes the application process easier. It also explains why I always saw so many terrible cover letters in my previous job…
Eventually I could feel my eyeballs go numb, so I decided to take a break and go for a run! I completed my speed workout for the week, which totalled 11 miles:
1.5mi warm up 4 * 1.5mi @ GMP – 10sec; .5mi rest 1.5mi cool down
The last rest and part of the cool down involved more walking than normal because I was going into a strong headwind, and that didn’t feel too relaxing…
Then the evening was rough because I had some bad anxiety about the marathon and trip to Japan…it sucks, I cried it out, and felt marginally better before going to bed–or maybe I was just focused on how I haven’t been able to shake the snot from my cold. Whatever works!
Wednesday, February 12
I woke up feeling MUCH better today! I also slept in later than I’d planned. Definitely not a coincidence–if I’ve learned anything from my vacation, it’s that sleep is SO IMPORTANT for physical and mental health.
In the afternoon, I ran 12 miles! I wasn’t feeling super energetic, so I decided to walk the first .1 mile or so of each mile, so I knew there would be built in breaks. It definitely made a difference. Plus, it was so nice and sunny today (yesterday was very overcast) and there was no crazy wind! Also, I’ve now completed my longest runs of the week–win!
Thursday, February 13
Today I had 5 miles on the plan…but didn’t feel like running. Again, it’s taper time, so who cares!
I went to Jerusalem for a few hours, which included joining my friend Alex’s tour of the Old City! It was free, it was fun, and I highly recommend it. Afterwards, we went for dinner with his roommate in Machane Yehuda market. I ate sweetbread, it was delicious, and I returned to Tel Aviv (ON THE TRAIN! Officially living in the 20th century!) full and happy.
Friday, February 14
Race time! Lior and I woke up EARLY and went to Shokeda, where I ran the Kalaniyot Race for the second year in a row. It was just as fun this year, but this time I ran the 15K–and set a PR! And then we napped!
In the evening, we joined Lior’s family for his niece’s birthday party, and then going to hang out with friends who live nearby. It was a long, but fun day.
Saturday, February 15
After sleeping in, we went for brunch in the neighborhood. After returning home, I took a nap (it’s the weekend! Even though I’m currently unemployed, I don’t nap during the week because I want to keep a reasonable “schedule”). After my nap, I did some more job searching (including listening to a long-ish podcast in Hebrew…nbd), and we chilled at home.
Sunday, February 16
I went to an interview, and afterwards, I went and caught up with a friend. All in all, it was a great day.
Total Distance: 32.5 miles
I didn’t run as much as I expected to this week, but then again, I didn’t really have a life to get in the way of my running while I was in London! Now to enjoy my last week of training/more time in Israel before the big trip!